The  Federal  Council 
and  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement 


A Statement  agreed  upon  by  the 
Administrative  Committee  of  the 
Federal  Council  of  the  Churches 
of  Christ  in  America  and  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement 
of  North  America. 


INTERCHURCH  WORLD  MOVEMENT 
OF  NORTH  AMERICA 
45  West  18th  Street  New  York  City 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/federalcouncilOOinte 


The  Federal  Council  and  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement. 

1.  The  chief  danger  to  Christian  unity 
at  the  present  moment  is  the  confusion  which 
results  from  the  lack  of  coordination  be- 
tween different  and  unrelated  movements  and 
agencies  in  its  interest.  Among  these  agen- 
cies the  Federal  Council  is  the  one  body  con- 
stituted by  the  action  of  the  denominations 
themselves,  and  holds  a place  of  central  re- 
sponsibility. It  is  important,  therefore,  that 
its  relation  to  the  Interchurch  World  Move- 
ment should  be  clearly  defined  and  its  distinc- 
tive sphere  of  activities  be  safeguarded. 

2.  The  Federal  Council  is  a permanent 
organization,  ecclesiastically  constituted  by 
its  constituent  bodies  who  have  delegated  to 
it  specific,  clearly  defined  purposes  to  promote 
the  spirit  of  fellowship,  service  and  co-opera- 
tion among  them.  The  purposes  are  set  forth 
in  its  constitution  and  by-laws  as  follows: 

“To  express  the  fellowship  and  catho- 
lic unity  of  the  Christian  Church.  To 
bring  the  Christian  bodies  of  America 
into  united  service  for  Christ  and  the 
world.  To  encourage  devotional  fel- 
lowship and  mutual  counsel  concerning 
the  spiritual  life  and  religious  activities 
of  the  churches.  To  secure  a larger  com- 
bined influence  for  the  churches  of  Christ 
in  all  matters  affecting  the  moral  and 
social  conditions  of  the  people,  so  as 
to  promote  the  application  of  the  law  of 
Christ  in  every  relation  of  human  life. 
To  assist  in  the  organization  of  local 
branches  of  the  Federal  Council  to  pro- 
mote its  aims  in  their  communities.” 

The  Federal  Council’s  relationship  with 
the  denominations  is  securely  established  and 
its  work  has  extended  to  many  important 


affairs  of  the  churches.  Its  promotion  of  the 
past  ten  years  has  been  the  chief  factor  in 
making  possible  such  a movement  as  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement  and  it  should 
be  an  important  factor  in  conserving  the  work 
of  that  movement.  It  furnishes  the  back- 
ground of  such  movements. 

The  Interchurch  World  Movement  is  a co- 
operative movement,  which  is  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  making  a thorough  survey  of 
home  and  foreign  missionary  work,  of  edu- 
cational, of  Sunday  school,  and  other  phases 
of  Christian  activity  with  the  purpose  of  se- 
curing resources  of  men  and  money  for  the 
accomplishment  of  the  whole  missionary  task 
of  the  church.  It  is  a volunteer  or  semi- 
volunteer movement,  rather  than  an  organiza- 
tion in  the  same  sense  as  the  Federal  Coun- 
cil. 

The  Federal  Council  represents  distinc- 
tively the  denominations.  Its  main  objective 
is  federation. 

The  Interchurch  World  Movement,  in  so 
far  as  it  may  be  regarded  as  representa- 
tive, is  representative  of  boards,  movements 
and  agencies  which  have  to  do  with  the 
particular  phases  of  work  undertaken  by  it. 
In  the  main  its  objective  is  missionary  work, 
when  the  word  “missionary”  is  used  in  its 
largest  implications. 

3.  If  the  program  of  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement  is  carried  out,  as  indicated 
by  its  general  plans,  it  should  strengthen 
the  Federal  Council,  and  the  entire  cooper- 
ative movement  for  which  the  Federal  Coun- 
cil, in  a peculiar  way,  stands. 

The  Federal  Council  can  greatly  help  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement. 

4.  The  constitution  and  organization  of 
the  two  bodies  are  so  different  that  each 


should  maintain  its  entire  independence  of 
the  other,  organically. 

Some  arrangement  should  be  made,  how- 
ever, whereby  all  duplication  and  interfer- 
ence should  be  avoided  and  whereby  each 
shall  contribute  to  the  strength  of  the  other. 
Otherwise,  both  would  be  impaired,  and  the 
whole  cause  would  suffer. 

While  the  Interchurch  World  Movement  is 
distinct  from  the  ecclesiastical  organizations 
and  does  not  include  them,  its  work  should 
stimulate  the  ecclesiastical  bodies,  especially 
in  the  directibn  of  federation. 

It  is  recognized  that  the  relation  of  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement  to  the  eccle- 
siastical organizations  of  the  churches  must 
be  determined  by  the  church  bodies  them- 
selves and  that  their  advice  will  of  course 
affect  any  relation  of  the  Federal  Council 
in  representing  the  churches. 

5.  The  Interchui'ch  World  Movement  will 
necessarily  have  special  relationships  with 
certain  commissions  of  the  Federal  Coun- 
cil, such  as  the  Commission  on  Interchurch 
Federations  and  the  Commission  on  the 
Church  and  Social  Service  and  others.  Such 
relationships  as  these  should  be  carefully 
considered  and  determined  upon. 

There  should  be  conference  between  such 
commissions  and  similar  departments  of  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement  to  prepare  a 
working  plan  on  the  basis  of  the  principles 
set  forth  in  this  statement. 

6.  There  are  certain  areas  of  work  cov- 
ered by  the  Federal  Council  and  certain  rep- 
resentative capacities  and  relations  which 
should  not  be  disturbed  by  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement  and  these  should  be  con- 
sidered and  determined. 


7.  In  its  financial  campaign  the  Inter- 
church World  Movement  should  take  into 
account  its  effect  on  the  financial  suppo'rt  of 
the  Federal  Council  and  arrangement  should 
be  made  vrhereby  the  Federal  Council  shall 
be  protected. 

8,  That  any  question  of  interpretation  of 
the  two  documents  presented  by  the  Federal 
Council  and  the  Interchurch  World  Move- 
ment be  referred  to  the  two  secretaries,  Dr. 
Macfarland  and  Dr.  Taylor,  and  that  suffi- 
cient copies  be  sent  to  each  secretary  for 
the  staff  members  of  each  organization. 

RELATION  OF  THE  FEDERAL  COUN- 
CIL THROUGH  ITS  COMMISSION 
UPON  INTERCHURCH  FEDERA- 
TIONS TO  THE  INTERCHURCH 
WORLD  MOVEMENT 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Federal  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  has  been  officially  directed 
to  give  attention  to  the  development  of  local 
and  state  interchurch  councils  or  federations, 
and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement  must  of  necessity  carry  on 
practically  all  its  field  work  through  group- 
ings of  the  same  character,  the  relationship 
of  the  two  at  this  particular  point  becomes 
one  of  fundamental  importance.  The  follow- 
ing is  the  understanding  of  this  relationship 
as  developed  in  a conference  in  which  Rev. 
Charles  S.  Macfarland,  General  Secretary  of 
the  Federal  Council,  S.  Earl  Taylor,  Gen- 
eral Secretary  of  the  Interchurch  World 
Movement  and  Fred  B.  Smith,  Chairman  of 
the  Commission  on  Interchurch  Federations 
of  the  Federal  Council  and  also  Chairman  of 
the  Convention  Committee  of  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement,  participated: 

First:  Both  the  Federal  Council  and 
the  Interchurch  World  Movement  are  seek- 
ing earnestly  and  sincerely  the  develop- 
ment of  permanent  interchurch  councils 


or  federations  in  the  states,  local  com- 
munities and  cities  of  the  whole  coun- 
try and  in  view  of  this  common  desire, 
an  unusual  intimacy  is  to  be  maintained 
upon  this  point. 

Second:  The  Interchurch  World  Move- 
ment, whenever  it  approaches  any  given 
state,  town  or  city,  will  seek  to  discover 
what  cooperative  movements  already  ex- 
ist among  the  churches  in  these  places 
and  where  they  are  of  a worthy,  compre- 
hensive type,  will  in  every  case  seek  to 
cooperate  -with  them.  One  of  the  fol- 
lowing methods  being  pursued  as  the 
special  issues  may  seem  to  warrant: 

1.  The  Interchurch  World  Move- 
ment in  that  state,  city  or  locality  to 
be  carried  out  by  the  existing  federa- 
tion. 

2.  The  existing  federation  will  ap- 
point a special  committee  to  carry  out 
the  plans  and  purposes  of  the  Inter- 
church World  Movement. 

3.  The  existing  federation  to  exer- 
cise its  good  office  in  calling  together 
an  adequate  group  of  representatives 
of  all  the  churches  and  all  the  Chris- 
tian agencies  for  the  purpose  of  organ- 
izing a special  Interchurch  World 
Movement  Committee. 

Note:  These  principles  have  been 
observed  in  the  platform  and  pam- 
phlet utterances  of  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement. 

Third:  The  Federal  Council  of 

Churches,  through  its  Commission  on 
Interchurch  Federations,  and  indeed, 
through  all  of  its  commissions,  on  its 
part,  will  seek  to  protect  the  large  in- 


terest  of  the  Interchurch  World  Move- 
ment from  being  placed  in  the  hands 
of  inadequate  -federations  and  through 
them  subjected  to  executive  leadership 
which  would  be  impossible  upon  the 
larger  program.  This  in  recognition  of 
the  existence  of  some  so-called  federa- 
tions which  have  really  never  func- 
tioned and  are  in  the  hands  of  incom- 
petent leaders. 

Fourth:  Both  the  Federal  Council  of 
the  Churches  of  Christ  in  America  and 
the  Interchurch  World  Movement,  will 
seek  during  the  process  of  the  work  to 
eliminate  sentiment,  or  special  anxiety 
concerning  prerogatives,  and  to  work 
unitedly  for  the  best  interest  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  the  larger  pro- 
gram of  permanent  cooperative  effort 
in  Protestant  Christianity;  each  being 
ready  to  modify  plans  at  any  time  when 
this  larger  ideal  seems  to  demand  such 
revision. 


No.  452.  I.  5.  Feb.  ’20. 


